Give a loved one celebrating the Festival of Lights the joy of queer Jewish literature!
The Flower Girl Wore Celery written by Meryl Gordon and illustrated by Holly Clifton-Brown
Grab this one for your youngest readers, and certainly for any flower girls in your life!
Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | IndieBound
The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros
A Romanian immigrant named Alter is trying to settle into his new life well enough to bring his mother and sister over, but when his roommate is the latest in a line of Jewish boys found murdered, and his dybbuk takes over Alter’s body in pursuit of the killer, Alter is forced to join forces with the most dangerous (and compelling) boy from his past to find the guilty party, get justice for Yakov, and regain his freedom.
Grab this one for fans of historical fiction (it’s set at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893 Chicago at the World’s Fair), thrillers, horror, and anyone who’s regularly immersed in Ashkenazi culture and loves to see it reflected.
Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | IndieBound | Blackwell’s
The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan
Grab this one for any fans of sexy romance. Don’t be frightened off by the rabbi hero, because I can definitely confirm It Works.
Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | IndieBound
Milk Fed by Melissa Broder
Grab this one for the litfic lovers in your life, and anyone coping with complicated relationships with mothers, food (with the obvious content warning in place), religion, or any combination thereof.
Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | B&N | IndieBound
Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler
Lara’s finally landed Chase, the guy of her dreams, so why can’t she stop thinking about Jasmine, the girl she hooked up with over the summer? And WTF is Jasmine doing at her new school?
Grab this one for tweens, teens, questioning and/or bi friends of any age, and romance lovers.
Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | B&N | IndieBound
I Kissed a Girl by Jennet Alexander
Grab this one for the Sapphic adult romance lovers in your life!
Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | B&N | Books-A-Million
Almost Flying by Jake Maia Arlow
Grab this one for younger readers, especially if they’re newly out, love romance, are coping with family blending, or just like fun.
Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | IndieBound
Camp by L.C. Rosen
Randy’s always loved hanging out with his friends and starring in the musicals at all-queer Camp Outland, but this year, he’s reinventing himself as the considerably more masc Del in order to finally land his crush, Hudson. He’s sure that once Hudson falls for him, he’ll be able to shift back into his old personality, but will he? And would it even be worth it if he could?
Grab this for summer camp kids, romance fans, readers hungry for all-queer casts, and anyone who appreciates books for teens that are a little more Queer 2.0. (Also, this one’s available in paperback, making it a good option for readers who prefer them, and also easier on the budget!)
Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | B&N | IndieBound
Depart, Depart! by Sim Kern
Grab this one for readers interested in cli-fi, Dystopian fans, and anyone looking for rare Jewish and trans rep.
Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | B&N | IndieBound
Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu
Teen witch Nova lives a lovely small-town life with her grandmothers, but it all turns upside-down when she follows a white wolf into the woods and realizes it’s her childhood crush, Tam, who’s been searching for someplace to land. Now Tam needs help taking down a horse demon and everyone else looking to steal their power, and Nova is up to the task…and finding that her old feelings are very much still there.
Grab this one for fans of graphic novels, books that are spooky yet cozy, and anyone particularly looking for bicultural Jewish representation.
Note: Want to make this an extra-special gift? Grab the collector’s edition!
Buy it: Bookshop | Amazon | B&N | IndieBound
Unwritten Rules by KD Casey
Read more about this book and the Judaism within it here.
Grab this one for fans of sports, romance, and sports romance!
Don’t see something for your recipients here? Take a glance at this post for a whole bunch more queer Jewish reads!
Going with a gift card this year? Consider pairing it with recommendations for upcoming books, like This Rebel Heart by Katherine Locke, Ellen Outside the Lines by AJ Sass!
Prefer to give a donation, or simply won’t get books in time because this blogger decided to do this post at the last minute and swears she’ll be earlier next year but right now this is the best we’ve got? Consider giving to Jewish Queer Youth!